I firmly believe that one of the very best decisions that any chemical scientist can make from undergraduate student to professional in the chemical sciences can make is to join the American Chemical Society.  ACS provides the pathway to unsurpassed career, networking, and connectivity opportunities throughout your education and career.  

 

From the time I was an active undergraduate student member,  I have greatly valued ACS during my 31 years of membership. It has been my source of information about jobs, career advice, research opportunities, career-training, activities that have benefited my students such as the Green Chemistry Institute, the Women Chemists Committee/Eli Lilly Travel Awards, and Project SEED,  science through the excellent journal offerings, and so much more.  Some of my earliest leadership training as a professional was provided through a program sponsored by the ACS Younger Chemists Committee and through ACS leadership training programs.  My research team and I have benefitted from terrific research and networking opportunities provided by the ACS International Activities Committee, such as the ACS Global Research Experiences, Exchanges, and Training (GREET) program, by the Petroleum Research Fund, and, of course, also from the rich array of national, regional, and local section meetings. 

 

When I was the Director (head) for the NSF Division of Chemistry,  ACS was an excellent partner, providing routes through the ACS Webinar program, fall and spring ACS National Meetings, and Pittcon (what an incredible meeting!), to highlight funding opportunities for the chemistry community.  And, of course, the ACS members that I have met through ACS, both in-person and virtually, have provided a rich network of colleagues for interaction and research exchange for several decades.  And, for each opportunity, excellent ACS staff have been at the core, and have been a delight to work with through the years.  These are just a few of the very many ways that ACS has been a part of my career. 

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As part of the ACS Presidential succession,  I will strive to ensure that each ACS member is not only a benefactor of the positive influence of ACS globally,  but also personally experiences the value of ACS and ACS membership.  I look forward to the opportunity to work with you.